SY-1010

Back in 1979, this compact powerhouse squeezed a full analog monosynth into a lightweight plastic shell, complete with 32 full-sized keys—making it one of the smallest keys-driven synths of its era, perfect for tight spaces or portable experimentation.

At its heart sits a single sawtooth VCO tunable from 40Hz to 10kHz with coarse and fine controls, plus a white noise generator for added texture. Sound routes through a low-pass VCF offering cutoff from 100Hz to 10kHz, resonance, keyboard tracking for dynamic filter sweeps, and ADSR depth, while a versatile ADSR envelope shapes both filter and VCA, with initial gain for gating or drones. A sine-wave LFO (0.15-25Hz) modulates pitch, cutoff, or amplitude for vibrato, sweeps, and tremolo, all tweaked via straightforward sliders in dedicated blocks. Multiple outputs include a 1/4" jack with hi/lo switch, mic-level, and aux, weighing just 4.8kg for easy mobility.

Vintage players cherish its melancholic, slightly detuned character that shines in moody leads or effects, though some note thin tones without chorus and limited waveforms keep it firmly in the "character synth" camp rather than a workhorse.